ASCILITE NEWS

The Program Committee has now begun assigning reviews, and we’d like to thank everyone who has volunteered their time to support the peer review process.

Please check your APUBS account

We’ve recently been made aware of an issue with the automated email notifications from the APUBS/Open Publishing system during the peak submission and review assignment period. The issue has now been resolved. However, we encourage you to:

Log into the APUBS submission portal and check whether reviews have been assigned to you.
Ask your institution’s IT team to add no-reply@open-publishing.org to your safe sender or allow list to ensure you receive future conference communications.

As a reminder, all authors who submitted a conference contribution are expected to participate in the peer review process. Your contribution as a reviewer is essential in helping us deliver the high-quality scholarly program that ASCILITE is known for.

Thank you to everyone who has already accepted their review invitations. Your thoughtful reviews are greatly appreciated and play a vital role in maintaining the quality and integrity of the conference program.

Sponsor Spotlight

This week we’re delighted to recognise our Silver Sponsor, Echo360.

Echo360 has been a long-standing supporter of the ASCILITE community, and we’re grateful for their continued partnership with the 2026 conference. Many delegates will also know Echo360 as the sponsor of our much-loved conference coffee cart, helping to keep conversations (and caffeine) flowing throughout the event!

We thank Echo360 for their ongoing commitment to supporting learning and teaching innovation and for helping make ASCILITE 2026 a memorable experience for our delegates.

ASCILITE Spring into Excellence Research School 2026 – final final chance to register

Are you interested in Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) research, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), or building your confidence as a researcher in higher education?

Whether you are an early to mid-career researcher wanting to sharpen your TEL research practice, a teaching-intensive academic curious about publishing, a PhD candidate looking to expand your research in TEL and SoTL, an ASCILITE mentor or mentee, or an academic seeking to forge cross-institutional research collaborations — the ASCILITE Research School provides a supportive and engaging environment to develop your ideas and move your research forward.

We are very happy to announce that the 2026 ASCILITE Spring into Excellence Research School will be held at the RMIT Melbourne campus (124 La Trobe Street, Melbourne VIC 3000).

Dates: 7–9 September 2026 (Tuesday lunchtime through to Thursday lunchtime)
Cost: $300 (members), $450 (non-members – includes 12 months membership) + GST

More information about the Research School can be found here.

And to help spring into spring, the ASCILITE Executive has approved a 50% discount for the first 20 paid registrations! HURRY FINAL FEW SPOTS REMAINING.

Apply for a 50% discounted registration here.

Presenters include: Professor Michael Henderson (ASCILITE Life Member, Monash), Professor Michael Cowling (ASCILITE President, RMIT), Professor Eva Heinrich (RMIT), Associate Professor Linda Corrin (Deakin University).

Michael Cowling
Research School Lead

LD-SIG Webinar: Research Mentoring Series webinar 5: Dissemination Channels – Peer-Reviewed Journal

Date: Thursday 20^th Aug 2026
Time: 11:00am AWST | 1:00 pm AEST | 3:00pm NZST
Where : On Zoom
Speaker: Prof Henk Huijser, Editor, AJET

As you are aware, LD SIG is running the Research Mentoring Program under ASCILITE CMP. As part of the research mentoring, we run a series of webinars for the professional staff to get started with research and have a flavour of what doing research may involve. We are up to our last webinar. In this webinar, we will discuss:

The current landscape and future directions of educational technology research.
What makes a strong Journal submission
Common reasons for desk rejection and how authors can strengthen their manuscripts.
The role of theory, methodological rigour and practical impact in successful publications.
An overview of the editorial and peer review process, including what happens behind the scenes.
Emerging trends, including the impact of generative AI on educational research and scholarly publishing.
Advice for Thirdspace, HDR students, early career researchers and teaching-focused academics seeking to publish their work.

And much more. Please bring your questions for Henk and us.

Kashmira Dave, Leanne Ngo, Keith Heggart, & Kate Mitchell
LD-SIG leads

OEP-SIG August Digest now available

The August 2026 OEP Digest from the Australasian Open Educational Practice SIG is now available, sharing the latest open education news, events, professional development opportunities, readings, resources and collaboration calls for the Australasian community. Explore the update to stay connected with current OER and OEP activity across the sector. Read more here,

Claire Ovaska, Hugh Rundle, Steven Chang, & Ash Barber
OEP-SIG leads

TELAS Reviewer Certification workshop (online)

The Technology Enhanced Learning Accreditation Standards (TELAS) are internationally benchmarked standards designed to assess the quality of online learning, particularly in the tertiary sector. They provide institutions with the means to assess and evaluate the affordances of their online learning environments, thereby guiding quality enhancements. For more information about TELAS visit our website .

Our workshop supports your understanding of the standards and is the first step toward becoming a certified TELAS reviewer. No matter what your role is at your institution, you will find these workshops informative and interactive.

Our next workshop will be online in Zoom (split across two half days); September 10 and 11 (10:00am – 1:30pm AEST)

For fees and registration, go here.

Any questions feel free to email TELAS Admin.

Elaine Huber, Chris Campbell, Lisa Jacka & Lisa Budgen
TELAS leads

Call for Expressions of Interest – ASCILITE Secretariat

ASCILITE is seeking expressions of interest for the role of ASCILITE Secretariat. This is a paid 0.6 FTE position that plays a central role in supporting the day-to-day operations of the Society and working closely with the Executive Committee to deliver services and initiatives for our members.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is highly organised, proactive and enjoys working across administration, member engagement, communications, events, finance and digital platforms. The role offers flexible, part-time work with the opportunity to contribute to one of the leading professional associations for technology-enhanced learning in Australasia.

For more information about the role and responsibilities, please see the Position Description. If you are interested, please submit an Expression of Interest by Monday, 17 August 2026. EOIs should include a brief statement outlining your interest in the role and relevant experience.

Michael Cowling, Elaine Huber, Sandy Barker
ASCILITE Senior Executive